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| No, think harder. What do you NEED? |
I had plans to duck Darlington Nagbe entirely in this review
(what do you mean, “you don’t believe me”?), but Stumptown Footy posted something
last week about Scottish giants Celtic FC comin’ a’-courtin,’ and it sums up
Nagbe’s game really well, so, y’know, what the hell?
“As fans in the Rose City know well, however, Nagbe provides much more than goals, assists, and tackles won. Although it’s a role that is typically far from glamorous, Nagbe is an elite shuttler who facilitates the Timbers’ transition and possession play in often spectacular fashion.”
To draw out a point: does what Nagbe bring to the team
provide “much more than goals, assists, and tackles won?” And what the hell
does “elite shuttler” even mean? The phrase implies that the Timbers transition better than all other teams in MLS, or even most of them, but do they?
(By way of a quick comparison/name-drop, Ignacio Piatti starts and finishes his
transitions.) Basically, I credit Stumptown for as tidy a summation of how
Nagbe uses his considerable talents, but the actual productive value of that
contribution remains an open question in my mind. And I hereby leave it open
for anyone who reads this to answer…according to his or her
judgment/conscience.
One final, preliminary comment: Timbers fans strike me as a
fairly sentimental bunch. They connect to (most of) the players with genuine
interest and a kind of familial fondness. I didn’t have a deep connection to
any team for much of my soccer-viewing life, not a real one, and I have only one
year in as an actual member of any supporters’ group and didn’t do anything
meaningful with it when I did have it (nothing personal; I’m just not much of a
joiner*), I’m not clear as to how normal this is among fans. (*That said, on
this Saturday after Thanksgiving, I am genuinely thankful for having found a motley
collection of people to watch games with. Yay!)
I don’t care if Timbers fans are unusually…clingy, honestly,
but, when it comes to really cleaning a house, sentimentality often just sort
of gets in the way. Sometimes one has to view grandma’s wish to be buried with her collection of cat statuettes for what it is: a little bit of madness. Those statuettes are worthless junk, so let’s
bite the bullet and get rid of them…
…speaking of Lucas Melano. Guys, I’m kidding! Not that mean (am I?). Still, whether
by fate or sub-par performance, he offers a good starting point for the story
of Portland’s 2016 season.
